After All
by Altra
Summary: It's Ginny's fourth year at Hogwarts. An old english supersition is somehow connected to the young girl, and Draco Malfoy is no longer in her hair.
1. Default Chapter

After all  
by Altra  
  
  
Harry Potter. For no sane reason, the name makes my face blush, makes my knees go weak, makes my mind run in circles. Oh yes, I like him. I always have. He's sweet, kind, shy, polite, friendly. He's saved the Wizarding World on numerous occasions. He's constantly stealing my heart. He's handsome, smart, charming, funny, and absolutely perfect. My mother says that Harry must have hung the stars in my universe. She says that he must be the perfect boy for me. She says he is a wonderful example of the perfect boy. My brothers all agree that he is wonderful. Bill says that he has a very interesting Quidditch technique. Charlie says that Harry has the courage to be a dragon tamer. Percy says that he needs to study more often and leave Dark Wizards to the Ministry. Fred and George both agree that trouble always follows him. Ron, well Ron is Harry's best friend. Hermione also thinks Harry is something special, and how could she not? She is his other best friend. They know each other inside out. Everyone agrees that Harry is a wonderful person, Diary. It's amazing how kind and humble a person can be, especially with such a well known history! I hope he notices me. Oh, there's mom, she says it's time to leave for King's Cross! I'll write more when I get to Hogwarts!  
  
-Ginny  
  
  
"Ginny, if you don't hurry we'll be late," a voice bombed.  
  
A short, red-head was just placing a tiny blue book into her pocket. Her brown eyes quickly surveyed her small room, looking for any forgotten items. The small bedroom had a rather large window, under which was a worn desk and chair. A calendar hung on the wall, a poster of the Weird Sisters pinned up besides it. The figures danced around, singing, but no sound came out, as Ginny had been forced to mute it. Her closet was open a bit, revealing a dresser and many empty hangers. On the only remaining side of the room was a tiny bed, covered with a white comforter.  
Satisfied, the young girl left her room. She walked into the cramped hallway, the peeling paint and dirt marks on the walls making no impact on her mind. After all, the Weasley's home had always been that way. Ginny skipped down the stairs, humming a part of her favorite song. Ron groaned as she flounced into the room, still humming.  
  
"Please shut up Ginny! I've been listening to that damn song all summer!" he exclaimed, just as Mrs. Weasley had entered.  
  
"Ronald Weasley!" she hollered, grabbing him by the ear and leading him from the Burrow. "How dare you use language like that! And in front of company no less! You should know..." Molly Weasley fumed, her voice steadily fading away. *Company?* Ginny thought. *But Harry is already outside...* Ginny spun around, turning an amazing shade of red when she saw Harry behind her.  
  
There was no doubting it, Harry Potter was not an average person. At the age of one, Harry had defeated the most powerful wizard of the time. He later went on to defeat him two more times, once in his First Year, and again in his Second. He became the youngest Quidditch player in a century, an excellent Seeker at that. He mastered the 'Expecto Patronum' charm in his Third Year. In his Fourth Year, he was the fourth person in the Triwizard Tournament, a plot set up by Voldemort. But Harry won. Oh yes, Harry Potter was quite an extraordinary boy.  
  
But he didn't look all the impressive. Sure, he had a lightning bolt scar from Voldemort, but other than that, he was quite average. His bright green eyes were hidden behind chunky glasses. His unruly hair shot off in all directions, and Ginny for one had never seen it tamed. Harry was short. No other word for it. He barely reached five and a half feet, which, for a fifteen year old, was quite small. He wasn't that muscular either. But for some reason, the entire Harry as a whole was what made him so appealing. After all, Harry Potter was perfect.   
  
"H-h-hi Har-Harry," she stuttered, backing away from the stairs so he could exit. Unaware of how far back she was walking, Ginny's shaking hand slammed into a small table, knocking a few pictures frames over. *Stupid! Now Harry is going to think you're a clumsy oaf!* she mentally screamed at herself. Quickly she knelt, trying to gather all the fallen knickknacks as fast as she could.  
  
"Let me help you with that," Harry said, helping Ginny place the items back on the mini table. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."  
  
"It's okay," she said quickly, trying to keep from running. *Why on earth do I always want to run when Harry's around?* a corner of her mind questioned quietly. The greater side of her inner monologue quickly capped anymore such thoughts, just as Ginny placed the last battery on the counter.  
  
"Well at least let me help you up," Harry said, offering her his hand. Turning an even darker shade of red, she took his hand and he pulled her to her feet. Hurriedly, Ginny walked out of the room, still red, but looking for any strategically placed tables.  
  
The Weasley's had acquired a new car after their Ford Angelina was crashed into the Whomping Willow. Yes, they now had a Dodge Caravan. Sure, the old van wasn't much for style, but it could hold multitudes of people and objects at the same time. After all, it was the perfect vehicle for the Weasley family. In her rush to get away from Harry, Ginny sat down besides Fred. Not a second later George sat down on her other side.   
  
"Well if it isn't our favorite sister in the whole wide world!" Fred exclaimed, slinging an arm around her shoulders.  
  
"I'm you're only sister, dimwit," she mumbled, still embarrassed about her encounter with the Boy who Lived.  
  
"Of course, Ginny-Winny! Which is why your favorite brothers would like _you_ to be the first to try our new juice," George said, offering the goblet in his hand to her. Raising an eyebrow, Ginny smiled sweetly at her brother.  
  
"Oh no, I couldn't! But why not save it for Alicia? I hear you two had _quite_ some time at that concert Mom said you couldn't go-"  
  
"All right! All right!" George said quickly, putting the goblet in the convient cup holder.  
  
"What are you three talking about?" Mr. Weasley asked as he started the van. Harry and Ron jumped up into the two seats in the front, slamming the sliding door shut as Molly Weasley took her seat in the front passenger chair.  
  
"Nothing Dad," the twins chimed, sending Ginny looks which clearly said 'say anything and feel my wrath.' Mrs. Weasley cast a suspicious look over her shoulder, eyeing the three Weasleys. Arthur Weasley sighed, turning the car on. Ginny let her smile fall, her eyes unwillingly focusing on Harry. He appeared to be deep in thought. This perplexed Ginny. Sure, every other year Harry was sad to leave the Burrow, but he never seemed to think so much about it.  
  
All three of her brothers were in a heated debated over Quidditch. Each to busy trying to prove their point. Harry caught Ginny's eyes in the reflection on the window. He smiled sadly at her, causing a desire to run to rise again. *Maybe it means something... maybe I should run from him...* she thought suddenly. *Then again, maybe I'll just ignore it,* she thought, brushing all hints of 'running' from her mind. Breaking off the eye contact, Ginny leaned back against the stiff cushion. Within minutes she was sound asleep.  
  
  
***  
  
  
"Gin-ny! You-hoo! Fred to Ginny! Fred to Ginny, are you there?" Groggily, Ginny opened her eyes, blearily looking around. The sun was brightly shining down on the parking lot for King's Cross Station.  
  
"Look! The dead wakes!" George said, flailing his arms around. Ginny smacked him in the chest. She was rewarded with a 'oof' and room to get up. She somehow managed to stumble from the car while yawning.  
  
Ginny glanced around the full parking lot, blocking out her noisy family, all of whom were congregating behind the car, fighting over who got the best trolley. She held her hand up over her eyes, shading the sun. Muggles talked freely to one and other, some talking into funny devices they held up on the side of their face. And this confused Ginny. After all, how many wizards had seen a cell-phone before?  
  
No one in wizarding robes were among them, causing Ginny to blush, self consciously running her hand along her Hogwarts robes. A group of rather odd looking people passed her, one casually glancing over his shoulder at her. Ginny barely kept her mouth from dropping open.  
  
The group of muggles wore different shades of gray, black, and white, with the occasional blue. Each person in the group had a different hair color, ranging from black to hot pink. The boy who had turned to look at her was stark pale, black eyeliner encircling his eyes, dark purple lipstick on his mouth. But the fact that they were so different didn't surprise Ginny. Oh no, it was the fact that the different appearances did not bug her in the least.  
  
"Look at those weirdoes," she heard Ron mutter at Harry. She turned around to glare at Ron, but only half achieved her mission. She did get her glare in, but turned a horrible red when she noticed Harry staring at her.  
  
"Ginny, come get your trolley dear," her mother called. Obediently the small red-head hurried over to the back of the blue van.  
  
Her father must have gotten the best parking spot in the entire lot. Well, at least is seemed that way. In the next lot over, someone (or rather someone's) had left a fleet of trolleys. Now, the trek across the parking lot was something she could do without.  
  
But the walk had to be done, so all six Weasleys, and Harry, trooped across the asphalt. Ginny and her parents were fending off questioning looks at their clothing, Fred and George racing their trolleys, and Harry and Ron talking about Quidditch. For the most part, Ginny found the walk to be just a tiny bit tedious. *Scratch 'tiny bit tedious' and put in 'tremendously boring in the worst possible-wish-to-hurt-someone way!* she snapped at her inner monologue. *Oh hush! 'Just a tiny bit tedious' sounds much more ironic!* her monologue snapped back. Ginny shook her head, the monologue replied. Blinking, Ginny somehow managed to separate her imagination from her inner monologue. Much to her surprise, and relief, the whole lot of them had made it into the Station. What surprised her even more was that she was already on Platform 9 3/4. But what surprised her the most was walking by.  
  
"Ginny!" Looking up at hearing her name, Ginny could barely make out a bush of brown hair before Hermione hugged her. She hugged back, eyes wandering over the other occupants of the platform. That was when he walked by.  
  
Now, by all means, Draco Malfoy was a jackass. For the three years that Ginny had known him, he was always the scrawny boy who would stop at nothing to annoy her. Draco was a racist jerk, against muggles and all things muggle. Wealth has obviously gone to his head, for he constantly harassed the Weasleys about their lack of it.  
  
Now, physically Draco was the opposite of Harry. Or at least he had been. Draco used to have perfectly cut white blonde hair (that Harry was sure was bleached, whatever that was), that was parted in a ruler straight line. He had clear blue eyes that were always narrowed. His sugar pale complexion never darkened a shade, while his mouth was always scowling.  
  
But Draco must have suffered a really bad blow to the head. His once perfect hair was jagged at the end, falling around his ears. For the most part his hair was still blonde, but the last two inches of it had been dyed black. His pale complexion was ever paler. Draco Malfoy had defiantly changed, but changed enough to wear black eyeliner? For an odd reason, Ginny doubted anyone could have changed that much in a matter of months. However, Draco's excursions into make-up did not end there. He wore black lipstick on his mouth, which for once was not scowling. Draco was tall. Unlike the vertically challenged Harry, Draco seemed to have grown a foot over the summer. But like Harry, he was still rather scrawny, giving off an underfed appearance.  
  
No no, that wasn't the biggest surprise. No, that honor was reserved for the muggle contraption around his head. The thing resembled a headband, but came down over the ears, where two round things were. Black strings hung from each side to the circular object in his hand.  
  
Hermione must have sensed Ginny's surprise, for she pulled out of the loose embrace, following Ginny's line of sight. Her jaw fell open too. Oblivious to the dumbstruck girls, Draco walked by song lyrics drifting behind him.  
  
"You get me closer to God..."  
  
The lyrics faded away, as did Ginny's surprise. But Hermione was still processing what she had just witnessed.  
  
"Wha-wha-wha?" she exclaimed, curiously looking at Ginny. "How on earth did a muggle get on the Platform?"  
  
"That's not a muggle, Hermione. That's Draco Malfoy," she replied, staring after the odd boy.  
  
"No. Nu-uh. It's probably just an amazing look alike. There is no way Malfoy would have a compact disc player."  
  
"Is that what it is?" Hermione looked at Ginny confusion written across her face.  
  
"You know what a compact disc player is?"  
  
"Oh yes. Didn't you hear? They started converting muggle things like that into magical ones. It runs on magic, no eklectry."  
  
"Electricity. And they run on batteries anyway," Hermione corrected automatically.  
  
"Yeah, that's it. Those things are really popular with 'high society.' Apparently, Malfoy isn't too good to pass up a trend, whether it's muggle in origin or not," she snapped. Hermione laughed, patting Ginny on the back.  
  
"Oh well, Gin. Now, where are Harry and Ron?" she asked, scanning the crowd.  
  
"I have no idea," Ginny answered.  
  
"Oh no."  
  
"Oh no, what?"  
  
"Come on," Hermione said, pulling Ginny through the crowd.  
  
"Bloody git! You did that on purpose!" Ginny shut her eyes tight, praying against all logic that the voice did not belong to her brother. She opened her eyes after Hermione stopped pulling on her arm.  
  
Ginny sighed. Oh yes, Ron was red in the face with anger, Harry struggling to hold him back, Hermione rushing to help. Ginny glanced to Draco, and was, to put it bluntly, terrified. Malfoy had always looked rather creepy, but scrawny pale guys with make-up weren't exactly a comforting sight. Especially with malicious smirks on their mouths.  
  
"Honestly Weasley, if you can't keep track of your feet, then maybe you should go back to nursery school. Learn to walk again, eh? Or maybe you were hoping to knock some change out of my pocket?" Draco said, his grin deepening when Ron roared, struggling to pull free.  
  
"Sod it, Malfoy!" Ron yelled, following with an array of curses that Mrs. Weasley would have gasped at.  
  
"Really Weasley, you're not my type, but I'm sure Potter will be more than willing to experiment with you."  
  
Now this isn't exactly a lovely situation. Verbally fighting with Malfoy is never fun. And of course, where Malfoy is, the Slytherins follow. But no Slytherins were around, and Draco seemed to realize this a split second to late, for Ron just barely managed to pull free of Harry and Hermione, and roughly tackled the wide-eyed Malfoy to the ground. The two boys slammed against the sun warmed pavement, Draco's disc player pulling free of the head phones and skidding to a halt at Ginny's feet. The other people on the platform were calmly walking along, parents ushering their kids ahead, other teens gathering in a mini-circle. Ginny screamed for her brother to hit Malfoy hard, while she bent down to pick up his disco player. She popped the case open and examined the disc inside while Ron was pulled off Malfoy by Crabbe, who had magically appeared. *Nine Inch Nails? Sounds gruesome...* she thought.  
  
"Can't you ever control your temper, Weasley?" Malfoy sneered. Ginny looked up at the Slytherin, finding his "perfect" hair mussed and his lip cut. She had a sudden urge to heal the tiny cut, an urge she always got when she saw people injured. If baffled her, for she would sometimes long to heal people she had never met, even if they only suffered from a minor-scratch. Shaking her head, she capped the urge to heal. After all, a Weasley doesn't just go and heal a Malfoy.  
  
On Malfoy's one side was Crabbe. Well, Vincent Crabbe if you wanted to be technical. On Draco's other side was Pansy Parkinson, a simpering brunette. But she wasn't simpering. No, quite the contrary. She was grinning quite maliciously at Harry, Hermione and Ron. Now, her appearnce had changed also. For starters, her hair was purple. *Geez, what is this? Rainbow hair day for the Slytherins? What next? Snape with bright orange hair? Ack! Horrid mental pictures! Back! Back I say!* Pansy had, well silver lipstick and dark eye make-up, giving here a walking dead impression. At least Crabbe was the same.  
  
"Can't you Slytherins control your faces?" Ron snapped back. "Turning into a woman already?"  
  
"As you can tell," Draco began, sharing a glance with Pansy, "Hogwarts has had a very negative effect on us."  
  
"Hogwarts?! You changed over the summer! You git! Who on earth would believe Hogwarts changed you?" Ron hollered.  
  
"Why, my darling parents of course. Wouldn't yours? Oh that's right, _your_ mum probably would have forgotten about you. Out of ten kids, why remember the bad one?" Draco said mockingly. Pansy snickered, Crabbe grinned. Ron sputtered indignantly, unable to find the correct words.  
  
"Why-you-I-... there's only seven of us, dumbass."  
  
"Seven? Are you quite sure that you haven't any illegitament siblings?" Pansy questioned, while Draco smirked.  
  
"Stuff it, Malfoy. We'll finish this at school," Harry said, red in anger. After all, he saw the Weasley's as his family.  
  
"No no, Potter. I won't be going to Hogwarts this year," Draco said, grinning snidely at the dumbfounded looks he received.  
  
"Drake!" Draco turned around to find the high pitched voice. He waved to a girl, who walked over, scowling the whole way.  
  
"Ah, Icicle! Just who I wanted to see. Potter, Weasley, Mudblood, this is Icicle, my younger sister." Icicle smirked broadly at the three. Icicle had pale blonde hair that reached her waist. She had sharp features, dulled slightly by her youth. Her blue eyes were much darker than her brothers. She was dressed in designer wizarding robes, like the other three Slytherins.  
  
"Is _this_ the famous Harry Potter? I was expecting a bit more," she said, as if Harry was some sort of animal.   
  
"Yes, I know Ice. Anyway, I thought you four should be introduced. I'm sure you'll get along just fine," Draco said.  
  
"Of course, Drake. Of course," Icicle said, more as in agreement to an under lying meaning. She glanced around quickly and spotted Ginny. "Oh look! It's another Weasley! Dear me, Draco. Is that your CD player she's got?" Draco whirled on Ginny, who had gone red at having attention placed on herself.  
  
"Give that back, you little thief!" he snapped, pulling the player from her hands.  
  
"Jerk! I just picked it up! I was going to give it back to you after you'd apologized to my brother!" she yelled back. Harry stared at her in shock, not able to comprehend the idea of Ginny yelling at anyone.  
  
"Sure you were. Don't lie, Weasley. Your as bad at it as your brother is." With one last smirk, Malfoy, his sister, Pansy, and Crabbe walked off into the crowd.   
  
"Yes! No Malfoy forever!" Ron whooped.  
  
"This is wonderful! Now Snape will have to give me a perfect score in Potions!" Hermione exclaimed. Ron scowled at her, but quickly began cheering again. After all, no Malfoy meant no harassment. the four of them made their way to the train, and Ginny couldn't help but notice the furtive glances Harry kept giving her. A small blush escaped her as she fought through the crowd. *Harry couldn't possibly be interested in me... could he?* Ginny blushed even more at her hopeful thoughts. At the same time, in a tine part of Ginny's conscious mind, a smidget of dread bubbled up as the young Weasley stepped onto the train.  
  
  
*********  
A/N: Well, I hope someone is enjoying this. A note of warning, just because Ginny likes Harry, it doesn't mean that H/G is on the way. As a matter of fact, I haven't the faintest clue about who I want together, but romance will not be a large factor in this story...   
  



	2. Chapter 2

After All  
by Altra  
  
Ginny traveled behind Hermione, Ron and Harry. A very large part of her longed to sit with the famous boy, but the more rational part of her mind decided that her darling brother wouldn't like this much. Casting a final glance at the three, Ginny turned on heel, peeking into different compartments, in search of her friends. Of course, Ginny had other friends than the "dream team," a surprisingly fitting title, as it came directly from the Spawn of Satan.  
  
Thinking of Draco reminded Ginny of something. The cut he had and her reaction to it. There was something teasing her about it, as though she should know already. **I'll ask Professor McGonagall about it when I get to Hogwarts.**  
  
With that rather trivial matter solved, Ginny slid open another compartment door. Inside sat her friends.  
  
Samantha O'Brien. Samantha was a third year, one year younger than all the others in the compartment. Samantha, or Sam as she preferred, was a bit of a runt. She was a good foot shorter than the other people in her year. With her short blonde hair, many of the Slytherins enjoyed taunting her about resembling a boy. Sam's high cheekbones didn't fit well with her rather large mouth and tiny nose. But her warm hazel eyes and bouncy personality pulled all attention from her dismal looks. Of course, Sam did have a tendency to whine when she felt left out and acted like a four year old, something which grated on Ginny's nerves.  
  
Clarissa Yorke. Clarissa, or Rissa, whichever suits, was a fourth year, same as Ginny. The two shared a dorm, both being in Gryffidor, along with Sam. At first, the two had been wary of one and other. Ginny though of Clarissa as an airhead, and Rissa thought Ginny to be a country bumpkin. After getting to know each other, they became fast friends. Rissa's black hair was curly to the extreme. Perfect ringlets spiraled down to her shoulders. She was no stranger to make up, and was always wearing the latest wizarding fashions. Clarissa had a good hands length on Ginny, and a troop of followers to boot. Clarissa's brown eyes would occasionally harden in anger, as her temper rivaled Ginny's. As all people, Clarissa had one major flaw: looking down upon those who did not dress as well as she. She rarely did this to Ginny, but when she did, she was quick in apologizing.  
  
Jessica Greenwood. Jessica was a fourth year like Ginny and Rissa, but unlike them, Jessica was a proud Ravenclaw. Ginny and Jessica had been friends since their first Potions class together. Jessica had chin length black hair which was bluntly cut. Her brown eyes were always soft, never showing any emotion other than kindness. Like Sam, Jessica wasn't much to look at. She had rather plain looks, to which no one would ever look twice at. Her features were indistinguishable and could easily be forgotten. Jessica was always quiet, being the voice of reason among the four. She would sit quietly, reading a book. But the books she read were fiction, having nothing to do with the Hogwarts criteria. But Jessica wasn't in the compartment.  
  
"Hi you guys. Where's Jessy?" Ginny asked, flopping on the bench next to Sam.  
  
"I don't know Gin. Maybe she's outside," Clarissa replied, twirling her wand between her fingers. As soon as the words left her mouth, the whistle sounded, and the train lurched to life.   
  
"Then again maybe not."  
  
"Oh, she's probably with her Ravenclaw friends," Sam said, her voice strangely high pitched.  
  
"That's probably it," Ginny agreed, though she doubted it.  
  
"Oh my god!" Clarissa yelled, her voice extremely surpassed. "Quick! Look at that guy!" She pointed through the window at a boy. Ginny and Sam both leaned for the window.   
  
Draco Malfoy was standing their, middle finger raised and smirking. He disappeared from view rather quickly as the train kept moving.  
  
"What a jerk! Why would he want to do something like that?" Sam questioned indignantly.  
  
"He's a freak! I never thought wizards were into that kind of stuff," Clarissa said.  
  
"What stuff?" Sam questioned innocently.  
  
"Like, punk music, and black make-up and clothing and stuff. They're really scary, I mean, I heard that they worship Satan," Clarissa said in a whisper. Sam's eyes widened as she gasped.  
  
"Oh, come off it, 'Rissa. Draco Malfoy is just a git. He's not evil enough for any of that. As a matter of fact, the only reason he's dressed like that is so he could get transferred to Durmstrang," Ginny said rationally. Clarrisa turned to Ginny, an eyebrow raised and a knowing smile on her face.  
  
"Since when did we care so much about Malfoy?"  
  
"Oh shut up! My brother was fighting with him earlier!" she yelled, face redder than a tomato. Clarissa and Sam shared a knowing look before collapsing into a heap of giggles.  
  
"What's going on in here?"  
  
The girls looked towards the door.  
  
"Can this day get any better?" Ginny muttered, smacking her hand to her forehead. Fred or George, whichever one it was, had his head currently stuck in the doorway.  
  
"Oh nothing. Ginny here was just sharing her admiration for the handsome Draco Malfoy," Clarissa said, as though there was nothing unusual about her comment.  
  
"You were WHAT?" Fred (or was it George?) stormed into the room. He began his tirade about the evil Malfoys, one that would have done Ron proud. He paced back and forth, flailing his arms around. Fred (or George) was oblivious to the audience he had acquired, all of whom were gathered around the door.  
  
"How could you think that the little rat was handsome?! The whole loathsome family is identical! Honestly Gin, do you not have eyes? Is you memory not working? Draco Malfoy is a grade A certified jackass! How you ever forgot his taunting, I'll never understand. He's a horrible excuse for a wizard! Why, if I could have one wish, it would be to never see that ferret for the rest of his life!" he hollered in finality, halting his frantic arm motions. He stood still for a seconds, glaring intently at Ginny, his nostrils flaring.   
  
"Clarissa. Was. Joking." The words came from Ginny's mouth very slowly, as if she was addressing a child. Fred (or George), dropped his arms to his side, adopting a clueless look as well.  
  
"Oh," he said. He turned and managed to push his way out of the compartment. The people blocking his way realized that the show was over and let the room, discussing what they had seen in excited voices. Ginny groaned, burring her face in her hands. After all, what self respecting Gryffindor wants to be linked romantically to Draco The Jackass?  
  
*Not me,* Ginny thought quietly.  
  
"Ah, calm down, Gin. If anything, you'll be thought of as a rebel. I mean, dating Malfoy! That's like juggling torches, swallowing swords, wearing white after labor day...!" Rissa exclaimed.  
  
"Shut up. Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up! You do realize this whole thing is your fault, right? Ugh, what's Ron going to do when he hears this rubbish? And Mum! I'll be a grade C circus act! I mean, I'll be walking down the hallway and people will be like "well now... look at that," and Ron will be foaming at the mouth, Mum'll send Howlers...!" Ginny furrowed her face deeper into her hands. "The world has ended."  
  
"Do you realize what you just did?!" Clarissa asked in an urgent voice. Ginny glared at her, unable to speak.   
  
"Whatcha talkin' about, Ris?" Sam asked curiously.  
  
"I'm talking about the fact that _you_ didn't _once_ include Harry's reaction!" she said, with a mischievous look in her eyes.  
  
"So? The world, contrary to popular belief, does not revolve around Harry Potter," Ginny spat, before realizing what she was saying. Both she and Sam gasped, but Clarissa only smiled.  
  
"I knew it! You are over Harry!"  
  
"Don't be silly! Of course I still like Harry! I've liked him sense before I could walk," Ginny argued, defending her crush on Harry.  
  
"No no, Gin! You were in love with a golden hero, not the actual guy!" And now that you're getting to know him-"  
  
"I'm starting to like him even more! Why is it so difficult to understand that I am in love with Harry Potter?!" Ginny yelled.  
  
"Um... maybe I should go," Harry said, standing in the open doorway, a deep red. Ginny let out a whelp and covered her face with her hands. She heard the compartment door shutting, and silently cursed all the gods she'd ever heard of. The sudden lull in conversation built up the tension in the compartment.  
  
"Well that wasn't good," Sam stated. Ginny grabbed the closest thing to her, History of Magic Grade 4 by Mystic Milly, and hurled it at Sam's head.  
  
After all, emotionally traumatized or not, Ginny had a temper.  
  
~~~~~  
Well... there's chapter two.. chapter three features Ginny at Hogwarts, and a bit of Draco too! I guess that's all.. here's the lil' review area, cause you guys rock!  
  
FireSprite -Thank you, I love my start too!  
  
DarkKnight- I thought it sounded like Draco too... when's the next chapter of the "Don't Talk Back" series coming?  
  
RoryDugrey - Oh, there will be some romance, but not for a while... my avid shipper-ness is being surpressed for now!  
  
Silver - I'm glad you liked the goth ideas... as you can tell from the story, not everyone has the right perspectives about goths... (and I love D/G. *hint hint*)  
  
Dot -you got it  
  
TK - Another Ron/Pansy fan?! I'm amazed!  
  
Cassandra -Well, we can't have Malfoy going all goody goody on us... it ruins the whole "I am bad" image he's got!  
  
TK (two of you?)- I will!  
  
Jey4eva- Ya never know... I might just go for G/H   
  
Mary Potter* - Here's s'more, hoped ya liked it!  
  



	3. Chapter 3

After All, Chapter 3 

  
  


Ginny quietly peeked out of the drapes around her bed. Night had fallen in England. Unable to sleep, and wanting to write in her journal, Ginny had spent the better half of the night debating on whether or not she should get up.  
  
Cautiously, Ginny made her way through the mess of homework, clothes, and textbooks. Her diary was locked in her drawer of the dorm vanity.  
  
"Wonder boy," she whispered with a slight blush. After all, it wasn't a very subtle password. Still a faint red, Ginny hastily grabbed the worn brown book and dashed back to her bed. Making sure the curtains were securely shut, Ginny cast a tiny light spell, a tiny flame appearing on the tip of her wand. Carefully jamming the wand into the crevice between her pillows, Ginny fished a pen out from under her mattress. Opening the book, Ginny flipped past her prior entries until she reached the first blank one.  
  
_'Dear Diary-  
I hate Draco Malfoy! He's such a git! Picture this, I'm going to my new dorm and on my trunk is this scummy piece of parchment. Do you have any clue what he wrote? 'In case you need some money, I'd like to suggest selling that monster of a mother. She must be eating you out of house and home by herself!' How could he write something like that? Naturally, I was mortified, I managed to crumple up the paper before any of the other girls saw it. From the indignant cursing I could hear from the boy's dorm, I think Ron got one too. I wonder if his said the same thing as mine. That would have been funny. No, no, scratch that. Malfoy is nasty, he's not funny!  
Anyway, a very unusual thing is happening to the Slytherins. For one thing, most of them are gone! You look to the table, and just a few fifth, sixth and seventh years are left! It seems as though they randomly decided 'Hey, let's go to another school!' Good riddance is all I have to say about that! On the other hand, the remaining second, third and fourth years have taken to wearing what 'Rissa has deemed 'goth people' clothes. She says they're bad people, but I don't believe it. I told her earlier on the train that Dra Malfoy isn't evil enough for that, but what if he was? I'm actually scared of the boy now! It's like, that weird dog who'd bark at you if you came to close started viciously attacking elderly women for no reason. A muggleborn was sorted into Slytherin! Can you believe it? The poor thing looked terrified out of his mind. I hope he's doing all right. I suppose I could pull him aside tomorrow and let him know he's got at least one friend.   
Perhaps my writing is reflecting my fatigue. I think it's about one-thirty and I really should be getting some sleep, -I mean I'm dead tired!- but I'm at that 'about to fall over and yet wide awake' stage. Even my grammar is horrible! I think I should return to staring blankly at the top of my canopy and writing that 'You are a git' letter to Malfoy. Yes, that's what I'll do.   
Goodnight,  
-Ginny_>  
  
After numerous re-reads, Ginny finally snapped the book shut, re-locked it into the drawer, and returned to her bed. Grabbing a loose sheet of paper and a heavy textbook from her bedside table, Ginny set to work on the first draft of her letter.   
  
'Go suck a bludger!'   
  
'Bloody git!'   
  
'Slime ball!'  
  
But none of these were good enough. For one thing, they lacked a certain oomph. Finally, Ginny settled on a well written, yet not to long letter. After all, she wasn't going to cramp her wrist on Malfoy's account.  
  
_'You must have an incredibly tiny mind to go after my mother! So many things could be said about yours that I won't even attempt to list them all. What ever prompted you to go through all the trouble of sticking a degrading, grotesque piece of parchment to my trunk is beyond me. Leave me alone, you bloody bastard. Bouncing ferrets should be nicer to those who have more class, you tart._'  
  
Nodding, Ginny smiled at her handiwork. _I'm mailing this tonight! I only wish I could be there when Ferret-boy gets it!_Ginny slid off her bed, tip-toeing between the dropped articles of clothing, grabbing her cloak as she went. After all, she wasn't going to freeze on Malfoy's behalf either.  
  
Ginny took the stairs from her dorm two at a time. If she hurried, the note would get there by breakfast. _At least, if Fred wasn't lying about how long it took him to mail Ron's broken Krum figure to him at school,_she thought with a smile. Ron sure had taken Viktor and Hermione's relationship the wrong way. As Ginny slipped out of the Common Room and into the hallway, she smirked, thinking of how great her plan was.  
  
_Draco would saunter into the dining hall like the pompous prat he is, smirking at all the other people. He would sit down, when a Hogwarts owl dropped a scrap of paper in his lap. He'd raise an eyebrow and crack the seal with a self-satisfied smirk, thinking Dumbledore was begging for him to return. His eyes would bulge as he read the letter, and a bigger boy would take the note and read it aloud and everyone would laugh and people would toast to her and throw parties in her name and..._  
  
Ginny shook her head. She just had a few steps left and day-dreaming wasn't helping. Throwing open the door to the Owlery, half the owls glared at her for disturbing their rest. Ginny ignored their looks and head for a fast looking owl in the corner. She held the letter up to him. The bird cocked his head to the side, extending a claw.  
  
"Thanks, my dear. Take this to Draco Malfoy as soon as possible. And if you can, leave a couple droppings on his head." The bird bobbed his head, jumping out the window and quickly flying away.  
  
"I knew it!" Ginny spun around, terrified that someone had actually followed her. Clarissa stood their with her lit wand in one hand, the other holding her heavy cloak together.   
  
"What are you doing here?" Ginny whispered frantically.  
  
"I followed you of course," Clarissa responded logically. "And now will you admit I'm right?"  
  
"Right about what?" Ginny asked, nervously glancing about.  
  
"That you're over Harry of course! And by the looks of it, moved onto Draco," she said with a pointed look.  
  
"What? Malfoy? Are you mad? The evil git left a nasty note on my trunk and I was simply returning the favor!" Ginny exclaimed in a whisper.  
  
"But you _are_ over Harry, right?"  
  
"Of course not!" Ginny yelled. The words were no sooner out of her mouth when she realized that yes, it was one in the morning and yes, she wasn't supposed to be out of her bed. _Oh no…_  
  
Clarissa spun around, yanking the door to the tower open. Ginny sped up, slamming the door shut before Clarissa could fully open it.  
  
"What are you doing?" she said in a whisper, quickly spinning around to face the red-head.   
  
"You git! This is a _tower_, one way up and down! They'd catch us on the stairwell!" Ginny replied, a note of anger in her voice.  
  
"Well what are we supposed to do? Jump out of the window?" Clarissa hissed An idea struck Ginny.  
  
"That's exactly what we'll do!" she said, running towards the window. Ginny pulled herself up into the sill. The wind pushed at her, attempting to pop her tiny body from the opening.  
  
"Ginny don't jump! It's just a detention! I'll say it was all my fault!" Clarissa said, holding out her arms incase Ginny fell backwards.  
  
"Don't be dense, Ris!" Ginny said, pulling her wand from her cloak. "As soon as I jump I'll start the levitation spell! Don't you get it? By the time I finish I'll be about ten feet from the ground and then I'll start to rise slowly, and I'll just end the spell!"  
  
"That's a horrible, horrible idea! What if you don't finish in time, you twit? It's a simple detention, Gin, not the end of the world," Rissa said, crossing her arms.  
  
"Well, let's hope that doesn't happen, shall we?" Ginny jumped from the window. Clarissa shriek as loud as she could, dashing to the window and futilely attempting to grab Ginny's robes.  
  
"Windardium Leviosa!" Ginny cried, waving her wand about. The spell gripped her about the waist, holding her still. Bending in the center, Ginny's legs and arms dangled painfully in the air. Her neck snapped downwards, causing her too much pain. She slowly began to float upwards again. "Finte Incantem!" she whispered. Suddenly, the spell released her and she fell the last twelve feet to the ground.   
  
Ginny yelped in pain as her ankle twisted underneath her weight. Falling sideways to the ground, collapsing upon her right ankle and hip, Ginny breathed heavily, unable to believe she had just jumped out of a window to escape a detention. Rissa's screaming, which had been going on the whole time, abruptly stopped. Ginny quickly heaved herself off the ground, making for the courtyard. She may have jumped out the tower, but she wasn't out of the fire yet.  
  
Running around the corner, Ginny found herself at the edge of the courtyard. The courtyard at Hogwarts was a lovely mass of mazes and gardens. Unfortunately, one could and would get lost quite easily once inside. And since Professor Sprout had refused to kill the plants from the last task of the Tri-wizard tournament, the maze had been transplanted to the courtyard. Ginny felt her heart sink. _Out of the pan and into the fire,_ she thought hopelessly.  
  
Just as she was about to enter, Ginny remembered something. _Wait a minute… the lake! The Chamber of Secrets opens to the lake! If I could get into the chamber, I should be able to get out! I still remember how to open it from the inside! _Ginny quickly ran along the outside of the maze, trying to swallow the nervousness bubbling up in her stomach. She hadn't thought about the Chamber for three years, let alone thought of using it as a way to enter the school.   
  
The maze was much larger on the outside than she had thought. She had been running for a few minutes and had yet to reach to lake. The green plants and bushes littered most of the grassy plain between the courtyard and the Forbidden Forest. _Did I miss it?_ she thought desperately. Oh don't be stupid! How could you miss something as huge as a lake? the rational part of her mind reprimanded. Ginny felt her ankle throbbing to a painful beat, as though it would snap off given the chance. As she turned the corner of plants, the lake appeared.  
  
The moon, a slit of its usual self, hung low over the lake; peeking out from behind the mist and fog. Ginny felt her ankle sigh as she quit her running. Cautiously, she approached the edge of the lake. A slim tentacle caressed the surface of the calm lake, as if assuring her with its simple motions. Taking a deep breath, Ginny stepped into the water, forcing herself to take one step after another into the murky depths.  
  
***  
  


**Thank you, reviewy people!  
  
Tessie** -I usually hate to embarass my characters! Well, unfortunatly, Ginny just sort of asks for it with the Harry Obsession.  
  
**Princess of Mordor** -Mordor! Lord of the Rings fan, eh? I'm only halfway through them but I love 'em! As for Ginny dying her hair... it's always a possiblity...  
  
**pyrobunny** -I know! I love Harry to bits, but sometimes I want to smack him for ignoring Ginny!  
  
**FireSprite** -Draco is gone for good for a while, and Harry... well, I think he's known about Ginny for a long time now. Or has he?  
  



End file.
